


Reluctant guide, Reluctant Sentinel

by Summer Rain (Zeram)



Series: Reluctant guide, Reluctant Sentinel [1]
Category: Dead Zone, The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Crossover, Gen, Sentinel Senses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-11-06
Updated: 2002-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/814932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeram/pseuds/Summer%20Rain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newly online Sentinel, Bruce Lewis searches for his guide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reluctant guide, Reluctant Sentinel

**Author's Note:**

> Like so many others I was inspired by Susan's GDP series. Thanks to her for letting me play in her universe.
> 
> As you will see I used an uppercase "S" with sentinel but a lowercase "g" when referring to the guide. This was intentional to show that the guide was not respected enough to be given a title.

-Prologue-

He could feel himself running; gasping for breath but at the same time he was at a total stand still. He couldn't tell where he was. He couldn't see and he felt nothing. He should feel afraid, shouldn't he? He knew something bad had happened to him. But he couldn't seem to connect his thoughts. He couldn't remember what had happened. And he couldn't bring himself to care. He let whatever thoughts he did have drift away until it was just nothingness and that's the way he remained for the next six years. When he finally did wake up he began to pray for the nothingness to take him again.

-Six Years Later-

Jim Ellison prowled around the bullpen tensing as he listened to the other Sentinel going berserk in the bonding room. Blair was at the university. Jim was torn between wanting to call him to help the other Sentinel and not wanting his guide anywhere near an Un-bonded Sentinel. Not for the first time he cursed Sentinel instincts. He wanted to go in and help Bruce but he knew that Bruce would not recognize him in this state. He would only view him as another Sentinel encroaching on his territory. Bruce's "territory" now being the bonding room.

Jim shook his head. What a mess this was. He had gotten to know the younger man a few years back when Jim had been injured apprehending a criminal. He had been shot and as part of his treatment he had gained a therapist and a friend in Bruce.

At the time Bruce had known himself to have a heightened sense of touch. This was something that served him well as a physical therapist. None of his other senses had been enhanced in any way. They all fell within the normal range. Even his sense of touch had barely qualified for the term "enhanced". Which is why Jim Ellison now found himself shocked to see that all of Bruce's senses had come totally and irrevocably online.

There were many questions to be answered. How had he previously failed to register as a Sentinel during testing? Also, why now? What triggered Bruce to come online? Could it have been triggered by the appearance of a guide? If so where was the guide? Jim looked around the bullpen. He knew it couldn't be someone in the bullpen. First of all the GDP was constantly coming through the bullpen and he highly doubted they would leave a guide Un-bonded once they were aware of him or her. Secondly he would have detected a guide since most Sentinel's knew instinctively when they were in the presence of an un-bonded guide.

Bruce had spent most of the morning up in the bullpen with Jim so it wasn't as if he had been out of Jim's sight long enough to meet up with a guide. There had to be another explanation. He just had to find it.

Jim sighed. There was no help for it. He would need Blair. His guide was blessed with amazing insight. He just had to make sure Blair got nowhere near Bruce since he wasn't sure he or Bruce would be able to control their instinct to fight for possession of the guide.

********

Johnny struggled to control his breathing as he stared at the men surrounding his bed. Some of them wore long white coats and he took them to be doctors. The others he identified by their uniforms to be GDP. His breathing became more rapid. He had never dealt directly with the GDP before. He taught high school so by the time the kids were high school age any guide or sentinel candidates had been detected. Which had been fine with him. He had always had a deep fear of the GDP. His mother had told him horror stories of how they treated guides. She had never explained her deep fear to him but she had often told him, as he was growing up, that he should always avoid the GDP.

It was never a good sign when the GDP took an interest in you.

He didn't know what they wanted but he didn't have long to be confused as the GDP told him in excruciating detail what it was they wanted from him.

********

It had been 2 months. During that time Bruce's senses had gone and off with no apparent pattern. The GDP had been a constant presence in his life as they paraded guide after guide before him. Had Bruce not been so desperate he would have been sickened by the display. Most of the time he wasn't consciously aware of what was happening. Sometimes he would come back out of a light zone to find a guide being punished as if it were their fault that there had been a failure to bond. He learned after the first few times not to intervene as it seemed to get the guide into more trouble than if he had just stayed silent.

Blair watched it all with sadness. He not only felt for the guides, some of who reminded him of his own ordeal, he also felt for Bruce. He and Bruce had often discussed the GDP and he knew how Bruce felt about their methods. To be part of the system that oppressed these guides would leave Bruce grief stricken once the crisis was over. As it was Bruce had plenty of time for his guilt to fester. He had been in limbo as far as work was concerned. He had a progressive supervisor who had tried to allow him to work in some capacity. The frequency and duration of his zone outs had made it impossible for him to continue. He almost began to view zone outs as a blessing. At the very least it offered some respite from the pain of his off kilter senses.

There had even been some grumbling from the GDP that there *was* no guide. That perhaps Bruce had come online by himself or that his guide had been killed and that's why he or she could not be found. At first Bruce had discounted these theories and Jim and Blair had agreed with him. Lately though, in the deepest recesses of his mind, he began to believe it was true and there was no guide for him.

He first stated this belief about two months after his senses had gone online and when for the first time Blair did not immediately naysay it, Bruce gave up hope. His muscles clenched into fists and his eyes became hot as he tried to hold back the grief at the loss of his guide. He could feel Blair's hand on his arm and his voice as he tried to calm Bruce down. Bruce was peripherally aware of Jim Ellison approaching, no doubt reacting to his guide's distress. It was all too much. Bruce could feel himself fading away into a zone and for the first time ever he made no effort to stop it from happening.

Suddenly he heard a very faint sound. It should not have been enough to stop his zone but somehow it had captivated his attention. He heard the sound again and looked around the bullpen where he had been talking with Blair while they waited for Jim so they could have lunch together.

He stood and walked around the bullpen peeking under desks and into corners. He opened desk drawers ignoring the outraged gasps of the desk occupants. He had almost given up, thinking the noise was a figment of his imagination, but then he heard it again. It sounded like it was coming from Captain Banks' office. He headed towards the office and without hesitating opened the door and stepped inside. He could hear Jim talking quietly to the Captain while he busied himself searching for the source of the noise.

Blair and Jim stood quietly as Bruce scanned the room. Neither of them had heard the sound that caught Bruce's attention but they could tell by his expression and the tilt of his head that his actions were Sentinel related.

Simon looked over at Jim's friend, Bruce. He had been about to yell at him but then Jim had cut him off asking him to cut Bruce some slack. Now they all stood watching to see what had captivated Bruce. Simon walked around his desk to get to Jim and Blair so he could question them further about what was going on. He was so focused on getting to Jim and Blair that he forgot about the trashcan next to his desk. He bumped into it knocking it out of the way as he strode around the side of his desk.

The sound of Simon hitting the trashcan was accompanied by the small sound, which had caught Bruce's attention in the first place. He could see something white sticking out from behind the dislodged trashcan. He walked around Simon who went to stand near Jim and Blair. He approached the trashcan slowly and pulled it further out of the way.

There in front of him was a small white rabbit. It stared up at him with wide blue eyes. He could tell by the rapid movement of the chest and the further widening of the eyes that the rabbit was scared.

"Oh my goodness" he heard Blair gasp out behind him.

"What's going on?" Simon asked. Not being a guide or Sentinel he was the only one in the room unable to see what had been hiding behind the trashcan.

"It's a spirit guide," Blair answered, "A rabbit."

"Is it Bruce's spirit guide?" Simon asked.

Blair just shrugged watching to see what Bruce's reaction to the animal would be.

Bruce looked at the rabbit; it seemed to be breathing a little easier as no one approached it. Bruce reached down slowly and then froze as the rabbit attempted to bolt to evade his touch.

It was painful to watch. The rabbit tried to run away but wasn't getting very far. It seemed to realize it wouldn't be able to escape and instead turned its attention toward trying to burrow under Simon's desk. As it turned Bruce noticed for the first time the bright spot of red, which contrasted brilliantly with its white coat. He gasped as he realized it was blood. The small spot of blood turned into a trickle as the rabbit frantically tried to find some way to hide under the small space between the bottom of the desk and the floor.

"Please stop," Bruce whispered. There was no indication that the rabbit had heard or understood him. "Oh god, please. You're hurting yourself. You've got to stop." He whispered his voice breaking as he watched the spirit guide struggle.

From the sound of distress behind him he knew that Blair was also being affected by witnessing the rabbits frantic movements. Bruce watched in horror as the once white fur turned red. He could see now that the rabbit's leg was held awkwardly. Which would explain why it had been hiding behind the instead of running.

The rabbit, recognizing the futility of trying to squeeze under the desk, stopped and stood trembling.

Bruce was about to reach toward it again when he heard a snarl behind him. It was very quick but enough to stop his actions. It had the opposite effect on the rabbit. It tried to shuffle toward the door dragging its bloodied leg painfully. It had only gotten to the edge of the desk when Bruce saw something streak by and come to a stop directly before the rabbit.

The rabbit tried to change direction stopping as the new arrival snarled. The dog, for Bruce could see now that's what it was, towered over the rabbit. The rabbit stood trembling before it collapsed having exhausted the last of its strength. The dog seemed to give a nod of satisfaction that it had prevented the rabbit from further injuring itself.

The dog leaned down sniffing at the rabbit's injured leg and it looked back at Bruce. He gasped at the sadness he could see in the dog's eyes. The dog barked at him and he watched confused for a moment wondering what it meant to tell him. Suddenly it barked loudly and with tail wagging it jumped straight at him entering his chest, his soul, his mind. Suddenly Bruce understood. The dog was his spirit guide and the rabbit was more than likely his guide's spirit animal. He felt great joy at knowing that somewhere out there, there was indeed a guide waiting for him. At the same time he felt great anger and sadness at seeing the condition of his guide.

Bruce did not even realize he had been holding his breath after the St. Bernard jumped at him. It came out of him in one big whoosh of surprise however, when the rabbit also disappeared from view.

Bruce stood there and straightened, hands folding into tight fists as he thought of what he had seen. His guide was out there, somewhere, and he or she was hurting and frightened.

"We have to tell the GDP" Simon said after Jim explained what they had seen.

"What? No way" Blair exclaimed reflexively stepping closer to Jim upon the mere mention of the GDP.

"Blair I know you don't like the GDP but." Jim began.

"It's more than that Jim. Look, Bruce's guide is obviously hurt. We don't know how or why. We do know he or she is not receiving treatment or else that leg wound would not have been opening up. The guide may not be receiving treatment because he or she is a rogue guide. Should we really be drawing the GDP's attention to him or her?"

"Blair you were rogue. Are you so bad off having bonded to Jim?" Bruce asked. "I would not hurt my guide."

Blair shook his head looking over at Bruce, hands waving in agitation as he talked to the new Sentinel. "Don't take this the wrong way Bruce, but this isn't about you. If this guide is rogue he or she would just view you as another part of the system trying to take away their freedom."

********

In the end the GDP had found out about the existence of the spirit guide by chance. A visiting Sentinel had seen the spirit guide and deduced that it represented Bruce's guide. He had immediately reported it to the GDP. This had increased their pursuit of the guide. The GDP now seemed to feel they were dealing with a rogue guide since Bruce had met all of the guide's in their possession. This rogue guide was wanted for "training". They were pulling all the stops to capture this guide who dared to evade a guide's duty.

It sickened Bruce to think that the GDP might now be going after a rogue guide. Bruce was more desperate than ever to reach his guide before the GDP did. He knew from Blair how the GDP "trained" rogue guides. He had a vague hope that one day his guide's spirit animal would lead him to his guide. As things stood it was unlikely. Though he had seen the spirit animal a few times since that first meeting the rabbit still did not let him approach. Even his own spirit animal only got close to the rabbit by waiting patiently until the rabbit was too exhausted to run away from him. Each time he saw the St. Bernard it stood with its tail between its legs desperately unhappy, curled around the rabbit but never touching it, as if it sensed that a mere touch would be too much for the rabbit.

Though Bruce was happy for each visit letting him know his guide was alive, he began to dread them as well. Every time he saw the spirit guide it had a new injury. The injury to the leg had worsened to the point where the leg didn't seem to move at all. On top of the physical distress he knew his guide had to be emotionally distressed as well. If they were in the preliminary stages if bonding it meant that his guide was wide open being buffeted by any strong emotions around him or her.

Bruce thought about the problem of locating his guide as he was in the elevator heading up to the bullpen to meet Blair and Jim for lunch. They had been called to let him know they were a little behind schedule but that he was welcome up in the bullpen while he waited. It was okay, it would give him time to think. It seemed that was all he had been doing lately, thinking about his guide. His own sanity was at stake as well as that of his Guide. His zone outs were getting more and more severe. The last week all of his senses had been reduced to normal level. Even his sense of touch which always had been heightened was reduced. He had hoped that he would get out of this unscathed but the GDP had informed him that this was merely the calm before the storm. The last visit with GDP personnel had left him with the information that if his Guide weren't found in the next few days he would likely go into sensory overload and would have to be institutionalized for his own protection. Probably the only reason he was out now was that he was spending so much time in the company of Jim and Blair. The detective was equal to the task of dealing with Bruce should he go primal.

The elevator opened and he stepped out already nodding at Jim who had looked up immediately upon sensing him. Blair glanced at Jim and then smiled and shyly waved Bruce over in welcome.

"We'll be with you in a few," Jim said when Bruce reached the desk, "just let me put my John Hancock on these reports."

"How are the senses?" Blair asked after Jim had gone back to his paperwork.

"What senses?" Bruce asked. "Even the hyperactive sense of touch is gone and that's the one that's been with me for life."

"What about your spirit animal?"

"Gone. I'm beginning to think it was all a dream."

"Sometimes I wish it had all been a dream for me." Blair's head snapped up at his Sentinel's gasp. "Jim, no! I don't regret you." He touched Jim's hand briefly before looking away. "But before I met you. During my time with the GDP I often wished I could wake from the nightmare," Blair finished past the lump in his throat.

Jim's gaze softened and he put arm around Blair's shoulder and pulled him into a tight hug to reassure him. Feeling contented as the young man relaxed in his arms.

They chatted for a few more minutes when suddenly Bruce clapped his hands to his ears. The ping of the elevator had sounded like a shrill screeching to his suddenly oversensitive hearing. He staggered against the desk as his senses began to go haywire. He was aware of Blair trying to speak to him but his voice could not cut through the noises around him. He could feel himself beginning to slide into the coming zone out.

Suddenly a noise rose above all others. In front of Simon's office stood his spirit animal. It stared at him intently before disappearing through the office door. Bruce staggered after it opening the door and ignoring Simon's protest. It seemed his guide's spirit animal had appeared again in the place where they had first met.

The dog looked at the rabbit lying on the ground. The rabbit was so weak it couldn't even struggle. The St. Bernard nudged at the rabbit with its nose and the rabbit did not respond. Bruce looked on shock holding him immobile. He heard a keening sound recognizing himself as the source of it.

He could dimly hear Simon yelling for Jim and Blair and the muttered curse that followed as they ran into the office. The rabbit in one last bit of strength turned its head to look up at the St. Bernard. It inched forward as if it were going to touch the dog but then its strength gave out and it fell limply to the ground once again. The dog gave a cry whimpering for a moment in tandem wit Bruce's keening.

It was only momentary however. His spirit animal's whimper turned into a growl and it darted toward the rabbit, teeth bared.

"No!" Bruce's arm lashed out barring Jim's way as the other animals started forward as if to protect the rabbit. A feeling of calmness swept through Bruce. He knew that his spirit animal would not hurt the rabbit. He watched as it leaned forward and its teeth gleamed white before surrounding the scruff of the rabbit's neck and lifting. The St. Bernard turned and looked Bruce straight in the eye. Bruce glanced down at his guide's spirit animal before meeting the St. Bernard's stare.

His last rational thought was *Screw the GDP. They've taken long enough. This ends now. I will find my guide. * With that thought Bruce retreated and the primal Sentinel came to the fore.

Jim knew the exact moment it happened. Bruce's stance changed and he looked suddenly aggressive. For the first time since he had known him Bruce looked dangerous. Though Bruce wore bulky clothing much of the time Jim knew the clothing hid a muscular form. Bruce needed to be strong to aid in his profession. Jim had no fear for himself but he knew Bruce would be riding on instinct now and could hurt anyone who interfered with him reaching his guide. He told Blair quietly to clear a path for Bruce through the bullpen.

Blair darted past Bruce through the open doorway. He knew Bruce would not hurt a guide. Just like he knew that he as another Sentinel should not make any sudden moves that Bruce might perceive as hostile.

The St. Bernard moved forward and ran through the doorway, Bruce hot on its heels. He turned and snarled at Jim who had begun to follow. He looked as if he was ready to attack and Jim tensed to defend himself. Suddenly the St. Bernard was in front of Jim tail thumping and wagging slightly. The primal Sentinel nodded slightly before turning and ignoring Jim.

Jim stifled a sigh of relief. No need to celebrate so soon. The next step would be persuading the primal Sentinel to get into the truck since they had no idea how far their journey would be.

In the end it was easy. Bruce's spirit animal appeared in the truck and the primal Sentinel followed. As soon as the truck moved the dog disappeared before reappearing in front of the truck and setting off at a run. The rabbit remained on the seat next to the primal Sentinel. Only the slight movement from its breathing gave any indication it was alive. This was the first time they had gotten this close to the rabbit and Blair wanted to cry at the condition it was in.

*****************************************************************

The trip itself was uneventful, the primal Sentinel having settled down to an almost eerie stillness. The part of the Sentinel's mind known as Bruce reacted with surprise at finding himself in front of the hospital where he worked. The primitive Sentinel didn't care. All it knew was that somewhere in this edifice was his guide. The Sentinel's attention was once again called to the St. Bernard as it began to bark urgently. The rabbit had disappeared from the Sentinel's side and now stood near the dog. It appeared to have revived somewhat and now moved under its own power. It skittered away from the determined Sentinel and its spirit animal.

Blair and Jim followed behind. Simon was making explanations and orders as he followed the Sentinels and guide. He couldn't see the spirit animals but he knew from Jim's explanations during the ride that it was likely they were all being led to Bruce's guide.

All too soon they found themselves in the sub basement of the hospital. Simon was the last to step off of the elevator. He was even more confused than he was before. There was nothing unusual to the naked eye. There were some pipes and some discarded tools scattered about on the ground. There were old pieces of furniture possibly waiting to be discarded. He looked to Bruce to see his reaction when suddenly the younger man cocked his head to the side and took off like a shot dodging around the discarded items.

The primal Sentinel could feel his guide was near. The guide was not alone. The primal Sentinel ran, barely aware of the others following him. They moved silently, to all but Sentinel hearing, as they approached their target. They stopped in front of a section of the wall. The rabbit gave them one last frightened glance and then disappeared through the wall. The St. Bernard stood next to Bruce snarling, the hair on its back raised.

Simon heard the snarl and looked around surprised when he realized it came from Bruce. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the inhuman sound coming from the normally mild mannered man.

"What's happening Jim?" Blair asked. "I saw the rabbit disappear through the wall. Can you hear the rabbit moving around back there or anything?"

"No," Jim answered. "In fact I can't hear anything. Nothing at all. What's going on Chief?"

"Hmm. Could be a white noise generator. Why don't you.?" Blair was suddenly cut off by the primal Sentinel attacking the section of wall before him. He was all but clawing through the wall.

"There has to be something back there or else he wouldn't be reacting this way." Jim said resisting the urge to pull the primal Sentinel away before he damaged his hands.

"Don't touch him Simon. He's gone primal. He might perceive you as trying to stop him from reaching his guide" Blair warned, seeing Simon begin to reach for Bruce.

Simon hesitated but then nodded and dropped his hand. "Okay, it's your call. What do we do Blair?"

Blair blinked in surprise at the captain deferring to him. It took him a moment to get over his surprise but finally he turned to his Sentinel. "Jim if you're not hearing anything it could be a white noise generator." He stopped, looking at Bruce for a moment. "He looks like he's looking for a way in."

"I think you're right, Chief. He's too far gone to think logically we've got to do it for him."

Blair nodded, "there's probably a hidden door. Okay, hearing is out. What about light?" He waited hopefully as Jim examined the wall.

Jim shook his head. "What about smell?" Simon offered. "They had to have touched the wall wherever the mechanism is to open it."

"Yes! Good thinking!" Blair responded.

Simon smiled, ridiculously pleased at the younger man's praise.

"Okay Big Guy. You are going to need to filter us out first. Look for where the smell is concentrated along the wall."

Simon and Blair stayed silent as Jim worked. Even Bruce had stopped his frantic movement in reaction to the guide's cessation of movement. His hands clenched and unclenched at his side, his snarl rising in volume. Finally Jim moved forward pushing on several points on wall before him. The wall swished open and Bruce pressed forward in an explosion of aggression.

By the time Jim and Simon barreled into the nearby room. There was a man on the floor his eyes open and unseeing. Bruce, the primal Sentinel, held another man pressed against the wall by the grip on his throat. The man was clawing frantically at the hands encircling his neck.

The primitive Sentinel's gaze left the struggling man to track Jim, Blair and Simon's movements. All traces of humanity had left his eyes. Jim stepped in front of Blair instinctively. He hissed his guide's name as the younger man stepped back around him to stay in the primitive Sentinel's sight.

"Sentinel. You're guide is waiting for you." Blair said, Sentinel soft.

There was no reaction from the primitive Sentinel save for a lowering of the volume of his snarl. "Look to your guide, Sentinel." Blair looked to the man who lay on the bed unmoving. "Is the guide alive?" Blair asked Jim softly.

Jim nodded. "Yeah, he's breathing. Barely."

Blair nodded. "Sentinel, your guide is hurt." He said to Bruce who was still in primal mode. The primal Sentinel loosened his hold slightly. The man who he held stilled, realizing one of the strangers was trying to talk the enraged Sentinel down. "Sentinel your guide needs you. Protect the guide!" As if a switch had been triggered the Sentinel immediately let go of the man's throat.

/Protect the guide! / The words reverberated around his head triggering an instinctual response. He had already eliminated one threat to his guide. He let go of the other man with a growl of warning before turning to his guide.

He started forward senses already stretching out to encompass the man on the bed. He had only taken a step when he felt a stinging sensation in his leg. Things happened quickly after that. He turned grasping his leg. He fell to his knees feeling suddenly woozy. He could hear shouting around him the sounds getting fainter and fainter. His arm stretched out, hand extended, hoping for just one touch of his guide. His reach fell short and with a whimper he fell to the floor. His soul howled in agony at once again being denied his guide.

********

From one instant to the next he was awake. The smell around him was very familiar to him. They were hospital smells. His nose twitched at all the other out of place scents that assaulted him. There had been many people in the room quite recently. They had apparently been touching him, their scents still lingering on his skin. He tensed at the thought that he had been vulnerable to an attack during the time he had been unconscious. He detected Jim and Blair's scents and he relaxed. He was safe for the moment if Jim and Blair were around. After having worked in hospitals he didn't need to look to know that he was on a hospital bed most likely in the Sentinel ward.

Now that he had determined there was no unwanted presence in his territory he had to determine what had happened to place him there in the first place. He tried to sift through his memories. They were like pieces of a puzzle he needed to try to put together with no clear idea of what the end product should look like.

He remembered his spirit animal whimpering and himself trying to claw his way through a wall. There had been something important on the other side of that wall. Something he desperately needed like he needed air to breathe. Somehow he had made it and.Bruce's thoughts cut off as he looked down at his hands. Had he really killed someone? In the next instant he realized that he felt no guilt. The man had been a threat. The man had hurt someone very important to him. Bruce tried to think it through but there was a sudden pounding in his ears that wouldn't let him concentrate. He stiffened as the pounding increased. He was swept by a sudden feeling of dread. Something was wrong.

He opened his eyes and rose from the bed slowly. Judging by his lethargy and the remnant of a stinging sensation in his leg he could tell he had been shot with some sort of tranquilizer. He moved slowly clinging to the walls as he walked. He was determined to get to the source of the sound, without sliding headfirst into the hospital floor.

As he walked, more memories drifted to the surface. The image of a pale, still face came into his mind. The blond hair had been in disarray as if the man had been in some sort of struggle. This face was the face of someone he needed to see. Someone he needed to touch. He inched his way out of the room into the hall, concentrating alternately between trying to remain upright and trying to remember the identity to go with the face in his mind.

The nurse looked up from the forms she had been filling out when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Her newest patient stood in the doorway. She had been told to inform the doctor immediately of any changes in the un-bonded Sentinel. This was definitely a change. According to what the doctor had told her the Sentinel shouldn't have the strength to be on his feet let alone walking. She had been working on the ward long enough to know not to be too surprised by Sentinels anymore. She picked up the phone and spoke for a few moments then hung up keeping her gaze fixed on the Sentinel. She followed behind him as he began to walk. She stayed far enough behind so she wouldn't be perceived as a threat. The doctor had told her to track his movements but to make no attempt to approach him.

She watched as the Sentinel stopped again. His head was cocked to the side as if he were listening for something. The ward was fitted with white noise generators so he should be unable to hear anything outside of the normal hearing range. She listened closely but heard nothing out of the norm. Whatever had caught the Sentinel's attention was known only to him. She darted forward as the Sentinel stepped into the elevator. She was stopped on the threshold by a menacing snarl. Voice pitched low she spoke softly trying to reassure the Sentinel that she was no threat.

"Step away from him."

She looked to the side to see the young longhaired gentleman who had been one of the people to accompany the primal Sentinel into the hospital. Behind him stood his taller companion.

"He's hurt. He could injure himself further and I wouldn't know where he is," she said just as softly.

"I'm Sentinel Detective Jim Ellison. I am a friend. I'll take responsibility for him," the detective promised. He shifted in response to his guide's increased agitation. The Sentinel ward was meant to be soothing to Sentinels but it did nothing for the guide who was struggling against the strong emotion of the ailing Sentinels in the ward.

Jim reached up stroking his arm and Blair smiled in gratitude. The nurse watched the interaction and the protective stance and realized that she was looking at a Sentinel-guide pair.

Blair blinked in surprise at the relief that he felt coming from her. Her words surprised him even more. "I defer to your judgment, guide. What can we do for this Sentinel?" She asked, nodding towards Bruce. She caught the small smile directed at her from the detective as she waited for her answer.

"The other man who we brought in, where is he?"

"He's on the 3rd floor with the other un-bonded guides under the care of the GDP physicians."

"What?!?" The detective's yell was accompanied by a howl from the primal Sentinel in the elevator and she suddenly found herself shoved backwards. The elevator doors closed with a soft ping unheard by the Sentinel Detective and his guide who were already racing down the stairs to the GDP unit.

The nurses words had triggered his memory. That man on the bed had been his guide. He had been denied his guide but that was something he intended to remedy quickly. The door opened and the primal Sentinel ran out. Any hospital personnel not quick enough to move aside found themselves knocked to the ground. There were no white noise generators on this floor and he grew increasingly agitated as he heard the frantic pace of what he now knew to be his guide's heartbeat. He snarled when he heard the Sentinel-guide pair of Jim and Blair exit the stairs to his left. He wasted no time challenging them, however, preferring to get to his guide's room. The few un-bonded guides walking in the hallway shrunk back from him in fear but he didn't even spare them a glance. He merely darted around them noting them as guide's and instinctively avoiding injuring them.

The sight when he reached his destination enraged the primal Sentinel.

His guide had been restrained. He was tied to the bed helpless as several GDP doctors and officials stood around him in conversation. There were several used hypodermic needles lying on a nearby tray. His guide's eyes looked huge and glassy as his gaze darted from side to side. They were red rimmed as if he had been crying although there was no other evidence of recent tears. He seemed to have trouble focusing. A croaking sound came from his throat as he tried to speak. The blonde hair was still disheveled. It was apparent that he had tried to struggle. The fresh bruises on his face illustrated what his captors thought of the attempt.

The primal Sentinel saw all of this and rage consumed him. He roared his challenge to those who would hurt his guide even as the last vestiges of humanity were ripped away from him. ********

Johnny trembled violently on the bed. He had been afraid ever since he had woken from his six-year coma. Now he felt a bone chilling fear as something new entered the mix. He could feel just on the edges of his mind something pushing at him as if trying to invade his mind. Had his captors devised some new way of torturing him? He tried to call out. To demand that they stop this new torture but his throat felt as if he had swallowed glass. His attempt at speech was brief and painful and he knew there would be more pain. He would be punished for even making the attempt. He was sure he was right when he heard a roar from in front of him.

They had shot him full of drugs and in his drug-addled mind he thought he saw monsters all around him. They had kept jabbing him with sticks and yelling at him. He had tried to get away but every attempt was met with more pain. He had constantly been in pain, whether the pain was from being beaten or his mind being battered. The moments when he would slip into unconsciousness were luxury for him since it provided a respite from the malicious glee and anger that emanated from his captors.

With all he had experienced he had come to the conclusion that monsters surrounded him. If that weren't enough there appeared to be a new monster in the group. It stood in the doorway. In Johnny's drug induced confusion he wasn't sure what he was seeing. The image of the man in the doorway kept flickering with that of a St. Bernard. All of the monsters in the room had turned toward the doorway when both the man and the beast roared. Johnny felt and insane urge to giggle at the sight of a St. Bernard roaring. This was the final straw and it was with great relief that Johnny felt himself slipping away into blessed darkness.

Jim and Blair reached the room just in time to see the last of the GDP personnel tossed bodily through the doorway.

"You told us he wasn't bonded." The doctor assigned to the guide accused the GDP officer as he picked himself up from the floor.

"He's not."

"Oh yeah. Then please explain to me why in that room is an enraged Sentinel exhibiting all the symptoms of a Sentinel in Blessed Protector mode."

"Are you questioning me?" the GDP official asked softly.

The doctor paled. "No of course not. Commander Purdy. I'm sure you didn't know," he answered. "If you'll excuse me I have other patients to attend to." He all but ran away having exhausted his bravery quotient for the day.

Purdy turned to Jim and tried to intimidate the detective with a stare. Jim glanced at him and looked away obviously dismissing him as a threat. He could tell by the slight hitch in the man's breathing that he had caught the deliberate insult. Jim let his gaze flicker over the other GDP personnel. He watched as they righted themselves after having been tossed out of the guide's room.

"We have to go back in and get the crazed Sentinel away from the subject." One of the doctor's said appealing to the GDP official.

"Are you crazy?" Jim asked in amazement, not acknowledging the reference to the guide as a "subject".

The doctor turned toward Jim. "And who might you be?" he asked as if he were talking to something scraped off of the bottom of his shoe.

"I am Sentinel Detective Ellison" Jim answered. He didn't even realize he had started forward until he felt the restraining hand on his arm. Commander Purdy gave them a once over and then looked at Blair smiling as he did so.

"So then, that makes you Blair Sandburg, rogue guide." Commander Purdy said with contempt in his voice. "Don't think you can corrupt our guide. We trained him too well to be tainted by you."

Blair couldn't help taking a step behind Jim for protection. He placed his hand on Jim's back, needing the contact to deal with the contempt and disdain rolling off of Commander Purdy.

"He's not your guide anymore Purdy. You've got a Sentinel in that room who I am sure is right now claiming his guide." Jim spat out not liking the possessiveness shown by Commander Purdy. It seemed to mock the Sentinel guide dynamic. Jim and Blair felt the chill in their bones as Purdy laughed in amusement.

Purdy leaned in and whispered just low enough for Jim and Blair to hear. " Let him try. He will never be able to bond. We made sure of that. And when your Sentinel finally goes insane after the failure to bond we will be right there waiting to reclaim our property." With that he straightened and nodded to his colleagues and they walked off together without a backwards glance.

They could hear clearly now a growing howl of anguish from the primal Sentinel in the guide's room and realized that they may have been too late.

\--a beginning--


End file.
